Thoughtful Style with Allison Karaba

Something I value about Instagram is how at its best it can foster a community of people going through similar personal journeys. It can serve as a source of inspiration and provide visual how-tos for living better. As a designer and a consumer, I feel a connection with the slow fashion community. I’ve found inspiration among a handful of IG accounts dedicated to sharing the evolution of their personal style as they move away from consuming cheaply made fashion.

Part of this awareness is about learning which pieces have the most value in your wardrobe and eliminating what doesn’t. Instead of buying lots of low-quality pieces, it’s about investing in fewer well-made pieces you love and wearing the hell out of them. Allison Karaba of The Thoughtful Closet is one member of the slow fashion community who does a great job of documenting her journey into becoming a conscious consumer. Allison’s style journey is all about cultivating a minimal wardrobe made up of high-quality, timeless and comfortable pieces. All of the items in Allison's wardrobe were purchased from ethical & sustainable fashion brands or secondhand.

Each season, Allison puts together a capsule of wardrobe items meant to express her style and simplify her life. Since Allison’s philosophy of dress is one that aligns with ZX’s core principals, I invited her to write a guest post on the blog. Below, Allison shares a few outfits plus notes from her summer capsule styled with the Luna Mule in Obsidian. Enjoy!

xx

Katherine

"Since I’ve gone back to a full-time job, I found that I was lacking closed toe shoes that would work for more formal occasions. While I looked for a piece to fill that hole, I realized that I also wanted to make sure whatever I decided to add would be a versatile element in my closet. I wanted a flat instead of a heel (because while I love heels, most days I cave and go with a flat…) I also knew that I wanted it to be a neutral color and something that would be classic and timeless. In steps the Luna mule! So for today’s post I wanted to show how I incorporated the Luna mule into my closet :)"

-Allison Karaba

OUTFIT 1

| BLACK + WHITE | T-shirt plus shorts is a super simple & easy combo in the summer. To elevate this look I stuck to black and white. It feels more modern and clean. Sometimes it’s fun to play around with a traditional outfit pairing but elevating it with black and white color blocking. Instantly more sophisticated and clean.

| ACCESSORIES | I kept the accessories super simple in this look. The belt acts as a nice focal point and further defines my waist. The coin necklace & hardware on my handbag further tie in the subtle brass/gold accent. If I had worn a silver or different color necklace/purse it would have felt more disjunctive.

| FULL TUCK | I’m starting to realize I never wear a shirt untucked anymore. It is always a half or full tuck! I just love how seamless a full tuck makes the overall outfit. It’s also another way to make an outfit more modern

Top: Everlane Women's White Cotton Crew

Shorts: Everlane Women's Cotton Twill Shorts

Belt: old

Necklace: Wolf Circus Rose Coin Necklace in Gold

Handbag: vintage

OUTFIT 2

| STATEMENT DRESS | Summer dresses make getting dressed so insanely easy. I love how this particular piece is a statement without being overwhelming. The dress is a tad shorter than what I’m used to so the Luna mule was a perfect fit. The flat dressed down the dress slightly and didn’t make me feel too exposed like a heel sandal might have.

| COORDINATING ACCESSORIES | To further keep the look simple and focused on the dress, I kept the accessories all the same color and simple. Once again I used my vintage handbag and coin necklace to add subtle gold accents while my shoes, handbag and sunglasses acted as an understated black theme. It also really helps the flowers on the dress pop.

| SIMPLE JEWELRY | The neckline on this dress is very dramatic so by keeping my jewelry simple I was able to highlight instead of distract.

Dress: Faithfull the Brand Luna Dress

Necklace: Wolf Circus Rose Coin Necklace in Gold

Handbag: vintage

OUTFIT 3

| BLACK PAIRINGS | Black can be a very hard color to incorporate into your wardrobe. I decided on the black Lunas because I already have a bunch of black and other neutral pieces in my wardrobe, especially white. It’s such a natural combination that always looks put together. I especially love the contrast with the white shorts in this look. The mules almost create a nice black and white sandwich with the bodysuit.

| TEXTURE | To soften this particular black and white pairing I added an element of texture. The houndstooth blazer is great for breaking up the bold contrast. My raftan textured bag would have acted in a similar way if I didn’t want to wear my blazer. The shine of the Luna mule also adds a little flare and polish to the outfit.

| BUSINESS CASUAL | I’ve always admired looks that pair blazers with shorts but have never tried it myself. As I was putting this outfit together I started with my base of shorts + bodysuit and knew I immediately wanted to add a top layer. Pairing a blazer with shorts is such an unexpected but fun twist on a business casual look. Now it’s probably not appropriate for most offices but I would 100% show up to happy hour is this look!